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The Gardener
- Narrated by: Salley Vickers
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
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The Gardener
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
The new novel from Salley Vickers, Sunday Times best-selling author of The Librarian.
Artist, Hassie Day and her sister, Margot, buy a rambling, run-down Jacobean house in Hope Wenlock on the Welsh Marches. While Margot continues her London life in high finance, Hassie is left alone to work the large, long-neglected garden. She is befriended by eccentric, sharp-tongued Miss Foot, who recommends Murat, an Albanian migrant, out of place in the village, to help Hassie in the garden.
As Hassie works in the garden alongside Murat, she begins to ruminate on her past life, her hostile mother, her diffident father and the sibling rivalry that tainted her childhood. Most of all, she begins to analyse the love affair that ended leaving her with painful, unanswered questions.
In Murat's peaceful company, she discovers resemblances between her plight and his, and as she works the garden and walks in the mysterious ancient nearby wood, she begins to explore the history of the house and its former lands, and old hurts fade as she experiences the healing power of nature and learns of other, hidden worlds.
In her mesmerising new book Salley Vickers, the best-selling author of The Librarian and The Cleaner of Chartres, writes with the profound psychological insight and sense of the numinous power of place that is the hallmark of all her novels.
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Critic reviews
"Salley Vickers sees with a clear eye and writes with a light hand. She's a presence worth cherishing." (Philip Pullman)
What listeners say about The Gardener
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anne
- 04-06-23
The twist in the tale
Beautifully written and narrated. Explored the relationship of sisters as well as the influences of the places we inhabit. The end was left to the imagination as is the rule for good stories.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. A. D. Fellows
- 22-05-23
CONFUSED!
I'm a fan of Salley Vickers but this one has left me flummoxed. The story of Hassie and Margot's unfolding sibling relationship was realistic and believable however the twist at the end verged on bizarre. Where did that come from and more to the point, who was the father??
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- FJI
- 19-12-21
LovedThis. Slightly mystical no over explaining
Interesting exploration of abandonment, loneliness and finding yourself. A gentle story with fulsome characters. Love the writers voice.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Gemma
- 21-02-23
Rather disjointed story
A pleasant enough listen but disjointed components and almost trying to do too much. Not at all sure about the ending.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rachel Redford
- 29-11-21
a mystical morality tale
Hassie and her sister Margot are restoring their old family home on the Welsh Marshes, My headline isn't flattering.
There's a great deal to praise in Salley Vickers' new novel. Hassie's love affair with a married man and its aftermath is delicate and moving; the healing powers of the garden which she and the Albanian immigrant Murat restore are beautifully detailed; the descriptions of nature, trees, flowers, sky, colours, water and streams are tender and keenly observed; her childhood with her unpleasant mother, sibling rivalry and loving father is also vivid and real.
All well and good, so why am I disappointed? What spoiled it for me was the heavy-handed morality tale surrounding both Murat and the apparently feral and vicious little local girl. I felt there was an element of preaching which I resented. As for the sudden change of gear into mystical mystery almost at the very end: it totally lost me.
The author isn't always the best choice for a narrator, but Salley Vickers makes for pleasant listening.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lynda Shaw
- 15-04-22
Fabulous
I can recommend this story. I am a fan of S V and enjoyed her narration.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Helen
- 26-03-24
the gardener
I loved Salley Vickers' voice. This is a truly beautiful story, elegantly told. I want to return to the beginning and enjoy it all over again!
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Miss
- 01-12-22
Disappointing
I really enjoyed Salley Vickers previous novel Grandmothers so was excited to try this one when it came out.
However, the storyline is very weak and there is simply too much bad language for my liking this time.
My advice…. Don’t bother yourself with it.
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1 person found this helpful